Shakib likely to return to cricket with Afghan ODIs

Dhaka, 8 June - Ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is highly likely to feature in the ODI and T20 series against Afghanistan as he is recovering faster than the expectation, according to the medial team of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Shakib had recently undergone a further X-ray on the injured finger and the outcome came out good.

"The X-ray result is quite good. We are hopeful that he could make a comeback into the ODI and T20 series," BCB chief physician Dr. Debashis Chowdhury told the reporters here today.

Shakib suffered the injury during the ODI series against Ireland in Chelmsford last month. As a consequence he missed the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

Despite not being in the Test squad, Shakib had already joined the camp and started his training. He was seen talking with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and curator Gamini de Silva in the last two days, which gave the impression that he talked about the type of wicket Bangladesh should use against Afghanistan.

"He needs to keep him fit if he wants to make a comeback. That's the main challenge for him," Dr. Chowdhury said. "His fracture was not a problem at all. He will start rehab within a couple of days," he added.

The only Test between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be held on June 14 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

After the Test game, Afghanistan will go to India for a white-ball series before coming back here again to complete the ODI and T20 series in July.